The Able Sisters

Chapter 26

Spring turned to summer, then summer to autumn, and the whole seasons went around again. An entire year and a half passed from that warm spring day, and soon, it was nearing the end of autumn.

Label had been living in the city nearly two years now. At eighteen years old, she had refurnished her apartment, saving up for an even bigger and better one, and she had continued her job working with both Harriet and Katrina. 

In the meantime, she sketched and sketched and even afforded enough to buy her own sewing machine to start designing clothes. Life was going pretty well, and most days her mind did not wander to the family she left behind until late at night where she constantly wondered if she was meant to be here in the city after all.

She had not run into Gracie, though she often heard the giraffe had appeared from time to time. She was always somewhere else though, whether she was working or at the store or in her apartment. She was getting tired of missing the giraffe's presence. She started to wonder if she'd ever find someone to launch her career. She could only keep working for Harriet for so long.

It was a cold start to the day on an early November morning. She tugged a coat close to her body as she headed out, imagining that snow would start falling in a couple of weeks.

Lampposts lit Label's way through the darkness as she went on her way to work. Very few buses were running, and the sun had barely risen. It was days like these she felt on edge and uncomfortable in the city. There was no rushing stream or tall trees in the distance, just the empty sound of wind blowing past buildings.

She entered Harriet's shop, already finding the light on inside. It appeared the pink poodle had just arrived too.

"Cold today, huh?" Harriet noted.

Label nodded, still clinging onto her coat.

Harriet handed her a warm cup. "Here, I picked up some coffee from Brewster's place along the way."

"Thanks," Label replied, reaching for the warm cup of coffee. She took a sip of coffee, the hot liquid warming her entire body.

"Does anyone celebrate the Harvest Festival around here?" Label asked as she continued to take sips of coffee.

"Harvest Festival? That's a country thing, right? Never heard of it here."

"Oh, I guess it wouldn't be celebrated here," Label realized. There weren't nearby farms or fresh ingredients to make a feast. She hadn't celebrated a festival like that year her parents had died, but she still found herself thinking of celebrations back home now and again. She realized Sable's birthday had passed, and that her little sister would be fifteen now. It was hard to believe.

"Well, let's get to work!" Harriet declared.

Label nodded and began to clean the shop, glancing outside the window. She always seemed to be longing for something nowadays. Her job with Harriet brought in a good number of bells, but the job was beginning to feel empty in itself. She wanted to pursue her own career. She wasn't as young as she was when she first came here. She could easily manage a career on her own.

"Label, I said 'can you pick up those scissors'?" Harriet asked.

"Oh, sorry!" Label responded, rushing to pick down a pair of scissors that had fallen out of Harriet's paw.

"You seem all out of sorts nowadays. Is everything okay?" Harriet wondered.

"Fine. The holidays are coming up and all..." Label noted.

"Ah, that's right, and you don't have family here. That must be hard," Harriet thought.

"It's fine," Label replied.

"Why don't you go home for the holidays?" Harriet wondered. "I can give you time off, you know. You're always working here."

Label shook her head.

"Why not?"

"It's too far, and too expensive," she lied.

"Well, if you change your mind, let me know," Harriet replied, returning back to her work. Label nodded and resumed sweeping. The sun was rising now, illuminating the buildings with a stark yellow.

Label grinned a bit. It was also beautiful seeing the sunrise reflect off metal in the morning. She loved it when a nice fog settled over the city or when she saw Phineas hand out multi-colored balloons to the children that came by.

The holidays were always hard. Label knew that. It was her third holiday without her family. But she'd get through it, and maybe someday, she'd have the fashion job of her dreams.

Harriet unlocked the shop, and customers begin to come in for their regular haircuts. 

"Why don't you stop by Katrina's?" Harriet suggested. "I think I've got it covered here."

Label nodded and exited the shop, heading toward Katrina's small shop that was nestled in the corner. She took a step in, finding the panther sitting at her desk.

"Ah, if it isn't the lost soul of Scorpio," Katrina said upon Label's entering. "What have you come for today? A fortune? Something to secure your luck?"

"I just came to see if you had any work for me to do," Label explained.

"Hm..." The panther scratched her dark ear. "I suppose you could clean the incense holders."

"Great," Label muttered.

Katrina set her to work, and Label sat on the ground, scrubbing off the metal plates while reeking of incense.

"You are unhappy, Scorpio," Katrina stated.

"I'm doing fine," Label replied. 

"I don't think you imagined you'd be cleaning incense holders," Katrina stated.

"No, I guess I didn't. I'll get my dream job someday. I just need to keep working for now," Label replied.

Katrina grinned and moved closer to her.

"I believe bad times will only get more bad before they get better," Katrina told her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Label asked, starting to get annoyed with her.

"I just think it means you still have many more trials to face," Katrina said.

"Well, when I meet those trials, I'll face them," Label replied.

"Good for you, then. Maybe you will even face the trial of seeing your family again, though that is far off."

"How do you know about my family?" Label asked, suddenly taken aback.

"I'm Katrina. I know all," she replied, returning back to her same, annoying self.

Label grumbled to herself as she finished cleaning the metal plates. 

"Is that all you need me to do?" she asked.

"Yes, I suppose so. Fare well, lost soul of Scorpio," Katrina said as Label exited the shop. 

Normally, Label enjoyed being amused by Katrina, but today, her remarks had seemed almost too real, and she left the shop with an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach.